


The Mission, The Flirting and The Coming Out

by WildChaser



Series: Angus MacGyver and the one thing he did not know about himself [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Angus MacGyver, Bromance, But only a little, Case Fic, Coming Out, Flirting, Gen, Heartfelt Conversations, Intense Stares, It's actually funnier and lighter than it sounds, Jack has Mac's back, Jack is oblivious, M/M, Mac struggles with his bisexuality, Riley is observant, he is good at improvising though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-02 11:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13317429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildChaser/pseuds/WildChaser
Summary: This is the second time Mac meets Lucas Burkhardt aka The Burglar, but now they stand on the same side. It's a one time thing, so Luke seems intent on making the most of it. And Mac, while not losing his focus on the mission, has exactly the same idea in mind.The only problem is that flirting can be easily misinterpreted, and Jack is very protective of his younger partner.





	The Mission, The Flirting and The Coming Out

**Author's Note:**

> I planned about two more scenes for this one-shot, but then I saw how it developed and decided that it's wrapped up pretty nicely as it is.  
> If I write another part in this series, those scenes will be probably somewhere in there. 
> 
> Enjoy!

** Somewhere in Los Angeles **

** Phoenix Foundation **

** People think it’s a think tank **

 

It’s been a couple of months since Mac, Jack, Riley and Cage found the last piece of the terrorist cell they had been looking for. All the members of the group ended up either dead or in prison -  and either way, they were definitely dealt with. The Burglar, however, has not surfaced since Mac last saw him on his own back porch – a situation, which he had yet to share with anyone.

 

Sometimes when Mac had a little bit too much free time, he let his thoughts wander towards Luke. He still had no idea how he felt about that man. A bit wary, of course, because all in all he didn’t know much about him, except maybe for some things he suspected. But still, suspecting is not knowing. Also, he felt a bit curious, that’s for sure. No matter how much Mac tried to avoid it, sometimes he let himself wonder what could have happened if only they had met under different circumstances.

Was that kiss only means to achieve something? [ _Though, Mac concluded, it wasn’t very likely – Luke obviously meant to leave without initiating any physical contact; and it’s not like the kiss actually changed what Mac did with the diamond afterwards – the jewel went back where it belonged.]_ And if not… What could have happened between them should the situation be any different?

Would they share a passionate one-night stand and then go their separate ways? [ _And Mac had no doubts it would be passionate indeed; the kiss itself was so intense that Mac preferred not to think about it in public places, and Luke seemed to know exactly what to do to a man in bed; Mac, on the other hand, might not be very experienced in this particular area (read: not at all), but also no one in their right mind would deny he was one hell of a fast learner._ ]

Or maybe they would share more than one night? Well, Mac would definitely welcome that option. Not because he had some freaky idea of a relationship in mind – he barely spoke to the man, after all – but because one night would definitely be too short to exhaust the heat that sparked between them that evening. Mac might have been surprised by his concealed bisexuality, but it didn’t make him stupid or any less observant; that’s why he could safely say that Luke wasn’t unaffected by the kiss either.

 

Thankfully, Mac hardly ever had a little bit too much free time, so he usually avoided that sort of divagations like a plague. There were bombs to disarm, hostages to rescue, biological or chemical weapons to steal and secure, and people to save – no time to think about a criminal [ _a criminal, Mac! Don’t you forget that one! – Mac reminded himself once in a while_ ] whom he met twice and spoke to for no longer than fifteen minutes altogether.

 

 

Of course, that is until said criminal entered the briefing room of the Phoenix Foundation waving a hand towards everyone like he had every right to be there.

 

“Hello.” He said casually, with one hand still in his pocket.

 

Cage raised an eyebrow and unfolded arms from her chest, making it easier for her to get into a battle stance, but she didn’t make any further moves – she just didn’t take her eyes from the man as he walked through the room and leaned against the wall not so far away from Mac and Jack.

 

Riley, sitting on an armchair on the other side of the room, glanced at the man briefly, nodded her head in a greeting and got back to typing on her computer.

 

 

Mac, on the other hand, spared him more than just once glance. The first thing he noticed was that without the black clothes and the cover of the night, the man looked more-- real, so to speak. During the night he seemed a bit mystical, like a wild creature that comes and goes as it likes, in a ways that regular people cannot comprehend. But now, in jeans and a grey Henley shirt he looked way more approachable. And yet not a bit less appealing, observed Mac in his thoughts.  

 

“Can somebody maybe explain this to me, ‘cause I’m feeling a bit lost?” Demanded Jack, glancing at The Burglar suspiciously, but not making any defensive moves, because if Matty was calm, then there was no reason not to be calm as well. Also, Matty send him a funny look, as if daring him to start making a fuss out of the newcomer, so Jack was dead set on not giving her any satisfaction.

 

Matty cleared her throat pointedly and began her debrief.

 

“Guys, as you can probably guess, you’ll have company during this mission. This is Lucas Burkhardt, also known as The Burglar. Mac and Jack have already met him in England.” She added for Cage’s benefit. “This time, however, you’ll play on the same side.” Matty approached the board and pressed some buttons, which made a map and two photos appear on the screen. There were names VALENTINO ROMANI and NAZZARENO ZITO written underneath. “This is Rome, and these are Vito Corleone wannabes. Unfortunately, they come from different—let’s say, fractions. In order to get the position they want, they need to be appointed by the previous don, but here’s the crux. There’s a third player,” Matty pressed another button and a new photo appeared on the screen, singed LISANDRO BIANCHI, “He is the only one in possession of the don’s last will. Nobody has any idea how he got that will, he possibly stole it, but now he holds it under lock and key and no one can read it. Of course, Bianchi claims that don appointed him as the new leader, and right now nobody can prove any different. Romani and Zito, however, argue that that’s impossible and he’s an impostor. While our sources tend to agree, it doesn’t change the fact that without the will, there’s no proof of anything. But the tension is growing and soon there will be a bloodshed if we don’t step in.” Finished Matty.

 

Mac had already five or six questions in his mind, but noticed that Jack folded arms on his chest and took one step towards Matty, so Mac decided to hold his thoughts.

 

“Wait a second-wait a second,” protested Jack. “Since when do we mediate the inner arguments of the Italian mafia? Did I miss something here? I mean, the bloodshed is bad, we need to stop it, I totally agree, but hey, aren’t we meant to lock them all up? Not—help them find a legitimate heir to their throne?”

 

Matty smiled, and that was one of those terrifying smiles that said ‘I was just waiting for you to ask that question, in fact, I stopped my debrief at that particular point only so that you can step in, thus diversifying the way I communicate the message’.

 

Jack hated those smiles.

 

“Good question, Jack.” Praised him Matty condescendingly, making Mac huff in quiet laughter. Jack shot him a pissed look that said ‘et tu, Brute, contra me?’ [ _well, fine, it would say so if Jack spoke Latin; he doesn’t, so the look probably said something more like ‘I will remember this betrayal, my friend, and I will plan my revenge’_ ].

 

“The Italian mafia is too big and their men are aligned in a net way too intricate for us to just uncover in a matter of days. Our job right now is to prevent the death of innocent people that would get caught up in the crossfire. Your mission is to steal the don’s will from Bianchi’s vault, make sure don appointed Romani as his successor and deliver it to the current consigliere, preferably without coming into contact with him. Leave it on his table, put it into his suitcase, I don’t care, just make sure he doesn’t see you.”

 

“Why do we care if Romani is the successor?” Asked Mac, since Jack was apparently still brooding from the previous exchange of wits with Matty.

 

Matty smiled sharply, her eyes glittering dangerously. “Because he’s CIA’s undercover guy, sitting in Rome for years now. He’ll dismantle the mafia once and for all; it won’t happen in one day, for the reasons I mentioned before, but he’ll do it slowly, giving up to the police one small piece after another, making sure nothing’s left to regrow.”

 

Jack couldn’t stop himself from whistling to show his appreciation. “That’s impressive.” He commented.

 

Matty raised an eyebrow. “Well, thank you, Jack, for this magnanimous compliment.”

 

Luke caught Mac’s eyes and looked at him questioningly, as if asking ‘what is between those two?’. Mac rolled his eyes pointedly and shook his head, trying to convey ‘that’s just how it is, I learned not to ask’.

 

“But why do we need him?” Asked Jack again, pointing his head towards Luke. “If it comes to stealing stuff, we can handle it.” He said, meaning mostly ‘Mac can handle it’.

 

“Not this vault.” Commented Luke matter-of-factly, smoothly entering the conversation. “You have a person for hacking,” he said, pointing his head at Riley, “you have a person for making things out of nothing,” he nodded towards Mac, “but for this job, you can’t just blow the hinges, you can’t just steal the owner’s fingerprints. For this job you will need my ear.” Luke paused for a moment, and then added as an afterthought. “Also, if Romani is not the actual successor, we’ll have to forge this will, and I can make a three months’ old document in less than an hour.”

 

Mac cracked a smile hearing this smug tone of voice. Well, he supposed, it wasn’t arrogance if it was true.

 

 

** Airplane **

** Somewhere above the ocean **

****

 

“Why does he keep looking at you?” Whispered Jack to Mac, briefly flicking his eyes towards Luke, who was sitting two seats away from them.

 

Mac froze for a second, wondering if ‘because I keep looking back’ was an appropriate answer. He decided against it and quietly cleared his throat.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He chose to reply instead.

 

This got him a raised eyebrow from Jack.

 

“Mac?” Asked Jack a bit suspiciously now. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

 

Mac cursed inwardly. When did Jack got so damned observant? …Okay, Mac had to admit, Jack was actually usually very observant when it came to Mac personally. He could always tell if something was on Mac’s mind, just often decided not to call him on it right away.

 

On one hand, Mac really didn’t want to talk about it right now; on the other, he wasn’t going to outright lie to Jack.

 

“Yeah, actually.” He admitted quietly after a moment. “There’s something I’ve kept to myself, but I’ve wanted to tell you for a while now, just… I couldn’t bring myself to do it…” Mac combed his hair with his fingers, trying to hide how uncomfortable he felt all of a sudden. “But I also don’t want to talk about it right now; can we talk later? After we’re done with the job?”

 

“If it has something to do with that guy, I think it would be best to talk now.” Replied Jack carefully, not wanting to press Mac too much.

 

“It has nothing to do with the job and will not interfere in any way.” Promised him Mac honestly. “It’s more… personal.” He admitted after a while.

 

Jack shot a surprised glance towards Luke, then he glanced at Mac.

 

“Personal?” He repeated, raising his eyebrows again.

 

“Yeah,” admitted Mac. “And it’s tied with Lucas… very loosely.” Added Mac, wondering if he just lied or not. He supposed he didn’t, because the problem didn’t lie in Luke, just in Mac’s “sudden” bisexuality crisis. And okay, it wasn’t even a problem, not really. It’s just-- it was mostly the fact that Jack didn’t know about it. Mac really believed Jack wouldn’t care, but still, since he hadn’t shared this with him just yet, so it made him a bit… uneasy. Even though he realized how unnecessary this feeling probably was.

 

“You know you’re not making much sense right now, don’t you?” Observed Jack teasingly.

 

Mac rolled his eyes and ostentatiously huffed in pretended annoyance.

 

“Later.” He replied crisply.

 

“Come on, you know you can tell me anything.” Reminded him Jack, though mostly to just have the last word in the conversation, not to actually press Mac any longer. Mac felt the shift in Jack’s attitude, so he just replied:

 

“Like you told me about you and Matty?” Mac raised his eyebrow challengingly.

 

Then it was Jack’s turn to roll his eyes and end the topic.

 

“Whatever, man. We can talk later.” He acquiesced finally, his tone suggesting how noble a gesture it was on his part.

 

“Thank you.” Said Mac, without teasing subtexts this time.

 

 

** Rome **

** Airport **

 

 

As they were leaving the plane, Mac purposefully lingered for a while, letting Cage and Jack go before him. Jack noticed Mac’s particularly slow movements, cast him a meaningful look that said ‘I see what you’re doing’, but didn’t say anything and left, letting Mac hang on a moment longer. Luke also took his time gathering his stuff, even though he didn’t bring that much.

 

When Cage and Jack left and they had a moment alone, Mac cleared his throat and said:

 

“I’m glad you made it.”

 

Luke, already with his bag in hands, turned to look at Mac.

 

“And I’m glad you took care of those guys so quickly.” He replied with a warm smile. “I didn’t even have to hide for that long.”

 

Mac hesitated for a moment.

 

“What made you come to Phoenix?” He asked finally.

 

“Actually, it was Matty who reached out to me.” Admitted Luke honestly. “One time offer, I’m supposed to help you guys this time, I get paid, and then I go back into shadows.” He explained, not taking his eyes off Mac’s face.

 

Mac stayed silent for a moment, thinking of how this situation made him feel. He realized that somewhere deep inside he suddenly felt a little bit pissed off, but he also had no idea why. He had no reason for it, it wasn’t logical at all, so he decided to ignore this for the time being.

 

“Okay,” he replied after a while, acutely aware that what he just said was nothing more than a meaningless filler. “Then let’s get the job done.” He turned around and walked to the exit.

 

Lucas just stood there for a couple more seconds, looking at Mac leaving the plane. Then he sighed deeply and followed the Phoenix team.

 

 

** Rome **

** Bianchi’s villa **

****

 

Getting into the villa wasn’t all that hard with Mac’s inventive mind. He looked around and quickly came up with the clearest path, and then Jack and Cage took care of whoever was unlucky enough to wander to that particular corridor. Later it was just a matter of opening the vault.

 

Mac had to admit that watching Lucas work was mesmerizing. He took out a stethoscope-like machine and put all his attention to listening to the safe. After a second, however, he turned around to the rest of them.

 

“Jack, leave the room. You’re breathing too loudly.” He ordered seriously. Jack would have been offended, but he realized that Lucas wasn’t just being a pain in the ass; he actually needed the room to be awfully quiet. “Mac, you too.” Added Lucas after a second thought.

 

“Me?” Mac was surprised. “I’m not breathing that loudly.” He protested.

 

Lucas shrugged unapologetically. “No,” he admitted. “You’re just distracting. Out.” He waved his hand at them to make them hurry.

 

Mac huffed in pretend exasperation (while in fact feeling pretty… flattered; though he tried not to show it), but followed Jack out, leaving Lucas with Cage, who – apparently – was neither loud nor distracting.

 

When the door was closed behind them, Jack commented dryly:

 

“’You’re distracting’,” he mocked Lucas’ voice. “What was that supposed to mean?” He added in annoyance.

 

To his surprise, he saw Mac smirk under his nose. Also, he heard Riley laugh in the comms.

 

“What?” Jack asked her. “What’s so funny?”

 

“Your obliviousness.” She replied, still puffing in laughter.  

 

“Hey, don’t mock me, young lady.” Chastened her Jack semi-seriously. “What obliviousness?” He asked suspiciously after a moment.

 

Mac could _hear_ her roll her eyes.

 

“Jesus, Mac, please, tell him soon, before it stops being funny, ‘key?” Almost begged Riley through the comms, making Mac sigh in not-pretend exasperation this time.

 

“Leave it, Riley.” Warned her Mac seriously. Okay, so Riley picked on Lucas casual flirting. It didn’t gave her the right to pry into his life that way.

 

Unfortunately, Riley didn’t feel how serious Mac was, and she added:

 

“Come on, Mac, you know none of us will care. Just chill.” Her tone was playful, and yet Mac felt immensely irritated.

 

“Well, let me remind you that in some countries we often work in there’s still death penalty for that, so excuse me for not being all that relaxed.” He hissed dryly before he stopped himself.

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Mac felt guilty for lashing out at Riley like that.

 

There was silence on the other side of the comms, and Jack was looking at him equally surprised and pissed. Mac took a deep breath.

 

“I’m sorry, Riley. It was uncalled for.” He said honestly, feeling remorse clench his throat.

 

He heard Riley clear her throat awkwardly. “I’m sorry too.” She replied after a moment, making Mac release the air he was holding in his lungs. “I… it’s stupid, I know, but I kind of forgot about that… I’m sorry.” She repeated earnestly. “I shouldn’t have meddled in your business.” She added bashfully.

 

Mac immediately felt even worse. “No, Riley, it’s okay. I don’t really mind. It’s just…” Mac hesitated, but then forced himself to admit: “It’s relatively new for me, so I’m probably a bit-- touchy about it.”

 

He was met with even more silence from the comms.

 

“Wait, _new?_ You didn’t know?” Riley was honestly surprised. Then she laughed again. “Well, _that_ I can make fun of you for.” She decided resolutely.

 

Mac let out a resigned huff. Admittedly, she deserved a bit of fun. “Whatever makes you happy.” He conceded.

 

Jack, on the other hand, stayed silent, but listened to the conversation carefully and with weird expression on his face. He was probably trying to figure out what sort of thing was punished in some countries and not in the others, especially one that Mac could be guilty of. One look at his confused face told Mac he didn’t exactly reach any conclusions.

 

But this was also the moment when Lucas and Cage came out of the room with the don’s last will in hands.

 

“Later.” Said Mac to Jack, thus promising him the overdue conversation.

 

 

** Still Rome **

** Consigliere’s house (heavily guarded) **

 

 

They stood in the nearby clump of trees trying to come up with the best course of action.

 

“I can break in, but…” Began Luke, but was interrupted by Mac.

 

“You don’t have to.” Mac’s eyes were already scanning the surroundings, his brain shifting into high gear.

 

Jack gently tapped Cage’s shoulder and showed her three fingers, then two, then one, as if counting down. After he showed one, he pointed at Mac with the knowing smile, and that’s exactly when Mac announced:

 

“I have an idea.”

 

“That’s my boy!” Declared Jack proudly. Cage only shook her head, not really hiding her fond smile.

 

Lucas looked at the situation with a funny expression on his face, which gradually turned into fascinated when Mac began explaining the intricacies of his plan.

 

“I am impressed.” Luke commented frankly. It wasn’t unusual; many people were positively surprised after seeing Mac in action for the first time. But no matter how many times Mac heard praises for his work, this one still stood out. Of course, Mac realized it was because he paid way more attention to the person saying the praise, but it made him feel amazing nonetheless.

 

[ _Okay, so it was official; he was twenty seven, but emotionally reg_ _ressed to a twelve year old girl with a first crush; wonderful – thought Mac dryly to himself while trying to shake the endorphins off and focus on the job.]_

 

 

 

Surprisingly, this time almost everything went according to plan. Almost, meaning that they hadn’t accounted for the very vicious and very big black Rottweiler roaming freely through the halls of the house, which almost got the bite of completely unsuspecting Mac. Mac had to actually kick the dog in order to get away, and that was enough for Jack to spend all the way to the exfil laughing at him.

 

“I didn’t take you for the puppy kicking type, Mac!” And so other and so on.

 

Mac’s protests that it was hardly a puppy fell on deaf ears.

 

 

 

But since that was all that went wrong, Mac counted it as a win.

 

 

 

** Los Angeles **

** Airport **

 

 

Mac was used to the fact that if he wanted something to happen between him and someone else, he had to take the matter in his own hands. This time, however, before he even considered taking the initiative, Luke took the opportunity when Jack was engrossed in a conversation with Cage and approached him.

 

“Angus”, he began quietly, but confidently. “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?”

 

Mac cast an unsure glance towards Jack and Cage, but quickly shrugged off the uneasy feeling. He focused his attention back on Luke and his green, intense eyes.

 

Mac hardly ever was on this end of an invitation, but hey, adapting and improvising – he was good at that, so he found himself smiling gently.

 

“Yeah, sure.” He replied, casting a very intentional glance at Luke’s lips; one the man was sure to notice. Mac might not be experienced in flirting with men, but he decided it was safe to assume some basics stayed the same. Judging by the way Luke’s pupils dilated, Mac was not mistaken. “Unfortunately, I can’t tonight. Is tomorrow alright?” Added Mac after he gathered his thoughts.

 

“Perfect.” Replied Luke immediately, his smile widening lightly. “How does 7 p.m. sound?”

 

“Good.” After a second’s thought Mac added: “I’ll clear my schedule for the night.”

 

Mac was sure only the presence of Jack and Cage stopped Luke from kissing him right then and there, because his eyes glittered visibly at Mac’s words.

 

“You’d better.” Commented Luke a bit cheekily.

 

“Where?” Asked Mac quickly, because if he didn’t focus on the conversation, he would just kiss the man himself, and that wasn’t the best course of action in this particular situation.

 

Luke made him feel like nobody had since—well, since Nikki, actually. She also made him feel this pull, as if they were two opposite poles of a magnet, but that particular feeling dulled significantly after her… It was still hard for him to call that ‘a mission’. Somehow his mind still firstly supplied him with the words like ‘betrayal’, even though logically he understood it wasn’t what happened. And yet, Mac was glad that Nikki didn’t come back to Phoenix – he wasn’t sure he would be able to work with her in the long run. When she took out a gun, some instinct still told him to hide. The job required trust, and now he couldn’t even convince his own subconsciousness that when Nikki held a gun, she wouldn’t point it at him.

 

To sum up, Mac was really grateful Nikki was on their side in the end; but he was also grateful she stayed at a safe distance.

 

“I could pick you up?” Offered Luke, distracting Mac from his bitter thoughts.

 

That reminded Mac of the previous time Luke came to his apartment.

 

“Works for me.” He replied finally, wondering if Bozer would be at home tomorrow night. Would he also have to tell him, or maybe this could wait until Mac got any idea what he was actually doing?

 

“Wonderful.” Summed up Lucas, and Mac could bet the man had to force himself not to kiss him at least on the cheek. Luke cast one more look towards Jack and Cage, sighed in slight discontentment and grabbed his stuff. “See you tomorrow then.”

 

“I’m looking forward to it.” Replied Mac, looking at the man intently and nodded his head in a way of saying goodbye.

 

Well, two can play this game after all, and Mac was definitely not the one to sit idly and wait to be wooed.

 

He noticed Luke’s smile widening as they parted their ways.

 

 

 

** Los Angeles **

** On the way to Mac’s house **

** Jack’s car **

 

 

 

For something around three minutes there was this silence suggesting that Jack was gearing up to confront Mac about _the thing_ , but he was considerately giving Mac time to bring it up himself. Mac appreciated it, while trying to keep his inward freaking out to a minimum.

 

After the fourth minute, Mac saw Jack opening his mouth finally, so he beat him to it.

 

“Okay, Jack, ask your questions, maybe it will be faster that way.” He suggested in a slightly resigned tone.

 

“What’s with you and this Luke?” Asked Jack immediately, as if he was just waiting for a permission to voice all those questions gathered in his head. “You thought me and Cage didn’t notice you two talking stealthily back at the airport?”

 

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘stealthy’,” protested Mac mildly. “And no, not even for a second.” He added truthfully.

 

“You didn’t answer my first question. What’s with you two?” Repeated Jack.

 

Mac let out a deep breath.

 

“Nothing.” He answered honestly.

 

Jack huffed in disbelief and eyed Mac suspiciously. “That didn’t sound convincing.”

 

So Mac rolled his eyes and added: “Yet.”

 

“What?” Jack was afraid the lost the thread of the conversation.

 

“There’s nothing. Yet.” Clarified Mac trying to keep his voice steady and impassive. Also, he seemed to be oddly focused on the world that passed behind the car’s window.

 

Jack stayed silent for a moment, but then admitted:

 

“No, I still don’t get it. Also, Luke was acting really… creepily towards you.” Added Jack carefully.

 

Mac huffed, this time in barely contained laughter.

 

“He didn’t act creepy.” Replied Mac in a tone he used to correct some Jack’s misconception.

 

“Yeah?” Jack didn’t seem to buy it. “So how would you call staring at you when he thought no one else was looking?”

 

Mac cracked an open smile this time.

 

“He was hitting on me, Jack.” Explained Mac, amused and wary at the same time. What a weird feeling that was.

 

Jack took his eyes from the road for a second to cast Mac a disbelieving look.

 

“He was doing what?!”

 

“Hitting. On. Me.” Repeated Mac slowly, gathering the courage to add the second part. He let out a short breath and took another. Okay, now he was just being ridiculous, he scolded himself.

 

“And it was working.” He revealed finally.

 

Now the cat was out of the bag completely.

 

Jack seemed to freeze for a moment, but when he finally came to, he had plenty of questions not arranged in any logical order whatsoever.

 

“What?” He began, but swiftly changed the course of his thoughts. “I mean, how? Wait, no.” He corrected himself again. “I mean, when did it happen? How did it happen? And besides, since when you’re gay?” He shoot the questions like a machine gun.

 

Jack was surprised and confused, but not angry, repulsed or disappointed, so for now it wasn’t all that bad.

 

Mac had no idea how to answer some of those questions, so as usual, he focused on the most scientific one.

 

“I’m not gay.” He clarified. “Gay men are not attracted to women at all, and I definitely am. But, apparently, it doesn’t necessarily exclude being attracted to men as well…” Mac added carefully. “It’s called bisexuality and it’s in fact pretty common, but not all that many people declare themselves bisexual. Mostly because bisexuality is the subject of many harmful stereotypes, and bisexual people are sometimes oppressed by both homophobes and homosexuals themselves. By the former ones because they perceive them as homosexual and promiscuous, and by the latter ones because bisexual people can spend their entire life without coming out and still live in a happy, open and formally legalized relationship. Also, while…”

 

“Mac, stop it.” Interrupted him Jack harshly.

 

Mac cleared his throat awkwardly and fell deadly silent. Only his fingers were still tapping nervously on his thigh. After a moment he realized Jack’s fingers were also tapping on the steering wheel in the same way.

 

Yeah, so that went well, summed up Mac dryly in his thoughts.

 

They drove good five minutes before Jack pulled off the road and then parked on Mac’s driveway. Jack sat in his seat, still not looking at Mac, and Mac realized he had honestly no idea whether he should stay and wait for something to happen or was he expected to just get out in silence? The second idea didn’t appeal to him in the slightest, but on the other hand, what was he supposed to do? Force Jack to talk to him again? He wasn’t even sure what the problem was.

 

Finally, after what seemed like extremely prolonged three minutes, Jack cleared his throat.

 

“I thought we were friends, Mac.” He said bitterly.

 

Mac’s eyes widened in hurt and surprise.

 

“We are! What are you talking about?” He barely stopped himself from shouting, completely distressed now. This conversation was taking turns he did not expect.

 

“Then why the hell would you keep something like that from me?!” Jack hit the steering wheel angrily, making Mac flinch.

 

“Hey, it’s not like I realized it myself!” Snapped Mac back, looking at Jack with a really pissed off expression now. Okay, so maybe he might have mentioned it a bit earlier, but it’s also not like he was intentionally hiding anything that big! There wasn’t even much to hide for now!

 

“Wait, what?” Jack’s eyes widened in honest surprise as he looked at Mac for the first time in the last several minutes.

 

“What what?” Repeated Mac in pure astonishment.

 

“What do you mean you didn’t realize it?” Asked Jack, a bit more calmly this time, still really confused.

 

“Exactly what I said.” Replied Mac. “I mean, I’ve suspected for three months or so, but it’s not like I had an opportunity to… uhm, really test that theory…” Added Mac a bit sheepishly, but also with relief, since he felt the tension in the car slowly disappear.

 

“So…” Began Jack slowly. “You mean, you didn’t have…?”

 

“Wait, you thought I had a bunch of secret boyfriends I never mentioned to you?” Realized Mac, raising his eyebrow suspiciously.

 

Tentative shrug of Jack’s shoulders told him everything Mac needed to know. He huffed in laughter, rolling his eyes pointedly.

 

“Jack, man, I can’t even hide from you what I had for breakfast.” He reminded Jack fondly.

 

“Hey, don’t pin it all on me!” Replied Jack defensively. “I’m not the one who dropped that bomb without further explanation.” He added, glancing at Mac in mild exasperation. “What was I supposed to think?”

 

“That I am an oblivious idiot having a sexuality crisis at 27, not that I’ve been lying to you for years!” Responded Mac in a clearly offended tone of voice.

 

“Hey,” Jack raised his hands defensively. “I’m sorry that it didn’t spring to my mind that somehow you missed the fact that… Wait, how did that even happen, man? You simply didn’t notice that you thought guys were hot as well?”

 

“I honestly have no idea.” Admitted Mac sheepishly. “I mean, I noticed that some guys were handsome, but I never thought of doing anything about it.” He shrugged. “And…well, I usually looked at girls first, and—uhm, in high school and in college I didn’t really have trouble finding a girl for a date, so I… just never looked beyond that, to be honest. And then, well, it’s not like any guy would hit on me while in the army… And then there was Nikki… So it just happened, I guess.”

 

Jack eyed Mac as if he suddenly grew another head, and then he pointedly rolled his eyes.

 

“I told you this many times already, but man, you’re a weirdo.” Commented Jack, shaking his head fondly. “So what, Lucas starts flirting with you and you’re like—‘okay, he’s handsome, let’s flirt back’?”

 

Mac raised his eyebrow.

 

“Yeah?” He answered slowly. “Isn’t that what you’d do if it was a woman?”

 

Jack huffed, but then looked thoughtful for a moment.

 

“Well, yes, but…”

 

“But?” Prompted him Mac.

 

“Okay, I’ve come up with nothing.” Admitted Jack after a moment. “I’ll have to think about it more.”

 

“About what? The intricacies of flirting?” Teased him Mac.

 

“What? No!” Protested Jack, but then changed his mind. “Yes! I mean, I don’t know!” He huffed, annoyed at himself. “Don’t be a smart-ass.” He added preventively, seeing that Mac is about to say something cheeky.

 

So Mac demonstratively said nothing and kept looking at Jack thoughtfully. After a moment, however, he decided to ask:

 

“So, Jack, we’re good?”

 

Jack hated hearing this slight hesitation in Mac’s voice, so his reaction was immediate.

 

“Sure, kid. I’m sorry I freaked out in the beginning.” Apologized Jack sincerely, and reached out to tousle Mac’s hair in a comforting gesture. Mac endured it bravely, even though he hated that and Jack knew it, but that just made his behavior even more conciliatory [yes, they were dysfunctional like that; don’t judge].

 

“It’s okay.”

 

“So…” Jack hesitated. “Did you just come out to me?” He asked, cracking a smile.

 

Mac considered it for a moment, a bit unsure himself.

 

“I guess?” He shrugged, smiling warily. “Though, I’m still coming out to myself, to be honest.”

 

“Well, you need to hurry then, ‘cause I guess you’ll have some more coming outs to do.” Pointed out Jack, huffing in casual laughter. “For the last fifteen minutes Bozer has been standing in the window and watching us talk with a very suspicious and worried face, so… Good luck, Mac.”

 

Mac let out a deep, resigned breath and cursed under his breath.

 

“Awesome.” He commented dryly. “It’s not fair.” He added, more to himself than to Jack. “I should’ve agreed for that date to be today; then at least I would’ve gotten something out of all of this first.”  His voice was more petulant than actually bitter though.

 

Jack’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Wait? Date? You didn’t mention any date! You need to tell me about the date, man!” Prompted him Jack excitedly, but Mac had enough for one day.

 

“Nope.” He replied shortly and swiftly jumped out of the car. “Not today.” He decided, and cracked Jack a cheeky smile. “I gotta go, very busy, lots of stuff to do. Bye Jack!” He finished quickly, closed the car door and all but ran towards his house. Enough interrogation for one day.

 

“Don’t think I’ll let it slide that easily!” Mac heard Jack shout from the car, so he turned around and saw his friend smile broadly. Mac waved his hand in a universal ‘bye-bye’ gesture and walked towards his front door light-hearted.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments motivate writers!


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